Grazing and cattle management software: a review of PastureMap
Record keeping is probably one of the most important activities you will do as a farm/ranch manager. At Parker Creek Ranch we keep cattle records for our cow/calf enterprise and our stockers/finishers. Our record keeping entails grazing management and animal management. There are currently only two software programs that I know of out there that can do both, PastureMap and Maia Grazing. As a disclosure I have not used Maia Grazing, thus I can’t necessarily compare the differences. I have been using PastureMap for about two years and it has been a very useful tool.
I discovered PastureMap about two years ago and first used their 30-day free trial. They got me hooked and I purchased the software/app. The “Basic” price of $500 isn’t cheap. I am a frugal, low-input rancher that doesn’t like spending money unless it will give me a return. Quickly I realized the time and money this app would save me. I use the app on my iPhone most often, but I also like to use the online/desktop version for mapping new properties.
I no longer have to manage a messy Excel file for my cattle records. Every animal ID, date of birth, weight records, type (cow, stocker, etc.), DMI (daily mass intake), and more. You can easily move individual or groups of animals from one herd to another on the map. It also has the ability to enter data for culled or slaughtered animals. All of the animal data can be easily exported to an Excel file for your banker or simply to have a hard copy on file. Overall, the livestock record keeping component of the app is useful, but it could use some improvement.
My favorite part of the software is the grazing management features. This is the “bread and butter” of this software. Using high resolution satellite imagery you can easily map your properties on your phone or desktop. With a few simple steps you can draw pastures or add infrastructure such as watering points, gates and more. It is also easy to add subdivisions within your pastures, which is especially useful for grazers who are moving their livestock daily within their permanent pastures. The map also shows the exact location of your herds and moves can be easily recorded with a few simple clicks.
An example of a grazing chart that we did for one of our consulting clients.
I really find the pasture record keeping useful. PastureMap offers a grazing chart for an additional cost. I prefer at this time to keep mine on paper. The record keeping the app provides allows me to store my grazing information and easily transfer it to the grazing chart on my office wall. I can see exactly which day the herd moved in and out of a pasture or paddock, the number of rest days, and the planned and actual grazing days.
Throughout the past year I have run into some major bugs with the software, which I find disgruntling simply because it’s a expensive app in my opinion. I am absolutely getting my moneys worth by saving an incredible amount of time. I like to be really efficient with my time. That being said, when I make the time to sit in my office to do planning I strive to achieve my goals for that time period. When I run into issues with the app that can’t be resolved in a timely manner it wastes my time. The help received from PastureMap has been very thorough and they always fix the problem, but unfortunately it can often take a few days. The bugs seem to be simple things, but they have stopped me “dead in the tracks” so to speak and I have to revisit my planning a few days later. The help is a bit slow to respond sometimes, but they have always responded within 24 hours and the problem is resolved within a few days.
Overall, I will continue to use PastureMap. I find it to be a really useful tool that saves me time and money. For smaller operations it is cost prohibitive. For larger ranch’s it’s a worthwhile investment for improving your record keeping and your ability to manage your pastures and herds.
